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Basic roles & variations
by Leo E. Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:50 am
We've had some confusion recently as to how some more basic roles work. While the specific workings of each role is left up to the mod of that particular game, it's good to know what some of the basic roles are and how they work. You can find all of these on the wiki, but it's good to have them all on one page so you don't have to go looking around.
Here they are listed by which side they are normally on. Note that most roles can be used effectively for the other team with little or no changes.
(Note: If a role has an asterisk after a word in its name, that word is a modifier that can technically be attached to any role you want, but usually isn't.)
DA EDIT: Here's a hand flash file containing some common and uncommon roles as well, but PLEASE, I implore you to also read what's down below.
Credit goes to mikeburnfire for his awesome compendium. Anyways:
And now back to the original message!
Roles that are usually Town-aligned
Roles that are usually Mafia-aligned
Roles that are usually Third-Party
There you have it. There are plenty more roles listed on the wiki, and you are free to make up whatever roles you want when hosting your own round.
Here they are listed by which side they are normally on. Note that most roles can be used effectively for the other team with little or no changes.
(Note: If a role has an asterisk after a word in its name, that word is a modifier that can technically be attached to any role you want, but usually isn't.)
DA EDIT: Here's a hand flash file containing some common and uncommon roles as well, but PLEASE, I implore you to also read what's down below.
Credit goes to mikeburnfire for his awesome compendium. Anyways:
- Spoiler:
And now back to the original message!
Roles that are usually Town-aligned
- Spoiler:
- Basic roles
Vanilla Townie: Exactly as you would expect. This is a Townie with no special abilities. They vote during the day, and that's it.
Cop: A player that can investigate another player each night. The Cop will receive, from the moderator, a PM with their investigation results. What information the cop receives is dependent on the moderator; sometimes they will see just the target's alignment, sometimes just their alignment and name, and sometimes the entirety of that player's role PM. In addition, there are such things as Naive Cops (who always receive "innocent" results), Paranoid Cops (who always receive "guilty" results), and Insane Cops (who always receive the opposite result as the target's true alignment). For obvious reasons, these roles are told they are normal Cops, and the Insane Cop is the only of the three that can be useful once he finds out he isn't a normal Cop.
Doctor: A player that can protect another player each night. The targeted player cannot be directly killed that night (they can still be lynched during the day). Doctors are almost never allowed to target themselves (but can end up protecting themselves via the effects of, say, a Bus Driver), and often cannot target the same player two nights in a row. In addition, some mods make the Doctor die if they target a mafia. There is also a "Faith Healer" role, which works the same as a doctor, except their protection has a 50% chance of failing.
Vigilante: A player that can kill another player each night. It's exactly what it sounds like. There is a variant called a "Day Vigilante", where the Vigilante publicly makes the kill during the day by posting "DAYKILL: (player name)". This is generally used when there are both Town and Mafia roles that can make daykills.
Roleblocker: A player that can target another player each night and stop any abilities that player may have tried to use. There is often dispute as to how much priority this has over certain abilities, as well as whether or not it also effects passive abilities (like a Bulletproof Townie's protection) or just abilities that must be activated (like a Vigilante's kill), so if you use a Roleblocker in your round, be clear as to what he can and cannot stop. The Roleblocker can also stop the mafia's nightly kill if they target the mafia making the kill, so when using a Roleblocker, it's important to make the mafia decide on which of them will be carrying out the night kill.
Mason: Two or more players that know each other to be innocent. They are allowed to talk to each other privately and/or at night even when PMing is not allowed. Masons should never be lied to about their partner's alignment. Two or more players that are allowed to talk but do not know each other's alignments are called "Neighbors", and two or more players who know each other's alignments but cannot talk privately are called "Best Friends". Sometimes a mod may make a "Recruiting Mason", where each night a single Mason picks one player to add to his group. If he picks a Townie, they and any other previously-recruited Masons are allowed to talk like Masons. If he picks a Mafia or Third-Party, he is killed.
Less basic roles
Voteless* Townie: Simple. A Townie whose vote does not count. Often they are still allowed to pretend to vote, in order to sway public opinion. A generally useless role, but can be interesting when a power role is given the Voteless modifier.
Doublevoter: Again, simple. A Townie whose vote counts twice. Some mods simply add another vote onto whoever the Doublevoter voted for (the mod may make this vote public or hide it), while some allow the Doublevoter to submit a second vote via PM, and does not have to vote for the same player twice. Note that for the purposes of insta-lynches, a Doublevoter usually counts as two people (for example, if there are nine players left, normally five votes would be needed for an insta-lynch; however, since the Doublevoter means there are effectively ten players' worth of votes, six votes would instead be required for an insta-lynch).
Bulletproof* Townie: A Townie that is immune to being killed at night. Often they can only survive a certain number of kills (usually one), and after that they can be killed like any other Townie. Note that they can still be lynched, and often can still be killed at night by poison.
Bodyguard: A Townie that targets one player each night. If that player is killed, the Bodyguard dies instead. Usually, if the Bodyguard is targeted, both he and the person he was protecting die, and if the Bodyguard targets a Mafia, the Bodyguard dies instantly. As this is a generally useless role, most mods will use "Elite Bodyguards", which will take the killer with them if they successfully protect another player.
Hider: Similar to the Bodyguard, but also kind of the opposite. The Hider can target one person each night to "hide" behind, and if the Hider is targeted for a night kill, the player they hid behind will die instead. Like the Bodyguard, most mods kill the Hider if the Hider targets a Mafia to hide behind, or if the player they hid behind is targeted as the kill.
Miller: A Townie that appears "guilty" if investigated by a Cop. They are usually told that they are just a normal Townie. There also exists a "Death Miller" role, which is also revealed as "guilty" after they die, but this is considered bastard modding.
Governor: The Governor has the ability to stop the daily lynch. When they can tell the mod to stop it, how many times they can stop it, and whether or not they can stop their own lynch is left up to the moderator.
Vampire: Simply put, a Vanilla Townie that becomes a Mafia Goon if he is targeted by the mafia's night kill. They are not always told this, and the town is not always told if he is converted.
Beloved* Princess: A role that, if killed, causes the next day phase to be skipped. Often, this effect will only happen if the player is lynched.
Bus Driver: A role that can target two people to switch around each night. Any abilities that targeted the first player will instead affect the second player, and vice-versa. There is also a "Redirector" role, which instead takes all the abilities that target one player and moves them to another player instead, basically making it a one-way (and arguably more useful) Bus Driver. Bus Drivers are not always able to target themselves, and Redirectors usually cannot.
Jailkeeper: Combination Doctor and Roleblocker. They can protect players like the Doctor, but also Roleblock their target in the process. This is often used in situations where the Doctor would be too powerful in the game's setup.
Nexus: A player that randomly redirects all abilities that target them. Due to this making them immune to nightkills, the mod may specify that this ability does NOT redirect the Mafia's nightly kill.
Lightning Rod: The opposite of a Nexus, the Lightning Rod attracts all night abilities to them. Almost never used due to basically creating a deadlocked night until they are lynched. Perhaps the only way to make this ability useable is to let them choose a single night where they attract all abilities.
Bomb: A player that, if killed at night, will take their killer with them. Simple.
Vengeful* Townie: Similar to the Bomb, but slightly different. If the Vengeful Townie is lynched, they may kill another player. Often they must choose one of the players that voted for them, and sometimes they may only make the kill if they are insta-lynched, and must kill the player that hammered them.
Backup: A Townie with no abilities at first, however, they take over the abilities of a certain power role once that role is killed. Often they are given flavor names, like a "Deputy" that gains investigation powers once the normal Cop is killed, or a "Nurse" that gains protection powers once the normal Doctor is killed. Sometimes there is a "Universal Backup", which gains the abilities of whatever Town power role is killed first.
Enabler: A Townie with no abilities they use themselves. However, the simple act of them being alive allows other players to use their abilities. Sometimes an Enabler is assigned to a specific player, and once they die, that player loses their abilities. Other times the Enabler is assigned to a specific ability (such as protection), and once they die, all players are no longer able to use abilities of that type.
Reviver: A Reviver can target one dead player at night to bring back to life. As this is an absurdly powerful ability, it comes with limitations. Some mods only allow the Reviver to do this once, others kill the Reviver when their target comes back to life, and others only allow a slim chance of the revival succeeding at all.
Jack-of-All-Trades: The Jack is given a number of abilities that he can use once each. Usually he gets one protection, one vigilante kill, one roleblock, and one investigation (though it is entirely up to the mod what abilities the Jack gets, and how many times he can use each one). There is also a role called "Schizophrenic", where the Schizophrenic targets one person each night and uses one of the previous abilities at random on their target.
Inventor: A Townie that can make one item each night, then use it on a later night. The mod does not always tell the Inventor what their items do. Sometimes, the Inventor cannot use the items themselves, and must give them to another player to use.
Paranoid* Gun Owner: A Townie that instantly kills anyone that targets them. Seldom used due to how quickly this role can ruin the Town's chances. In contrast, the Paranoid role modifier is often overpowered when given to the Mafia.
Roles that are usually Mafia-aligned
- Spoiler:
- Basic roles
Mafia Goon: The Mafia equivalent of a Vanilla Townie. They have no abilities, besides being able to carry out the mafia's nightly kill.
Godfather: The Godfather has various abilities based on the mod's preferences, but often they are more powerful than the Goons. Sometimes they are given immunity to nightkills, other times they will appear "innocent" if investigated, maybe their kills will bypass Doctor protection, and whatever else the mod may decide. Often, the Godfather has final say over who the Mafia will be targeting that night, and which Mafia member will carry out the kill.
Less basic roles
Usurper: A Mafia Goon with a different win condition than the rest of the Mafia. For the Usurper to win, the Godfather must be dead when the Mafia claims victory (sometimes, the win condition may also require the Usurper to survive until the end of the game). Usually the Usurper must do so by manipulating votes to get the Godfather lynched, but some mods will give the Usurper the ability to hijack the nightly kill and personally kill the Godfather. In addition, some mods will give the Usurper any special abilities the Godfather had once the Godfather is killed. Occasionally, a mod may specify that the Godfather loses the game if the Usurper wins.
Spy: A Mafia that does not know who the other Mafia are (likewise, they do not know who he is). He must determine who the mafia is and use his vote to help them win, preferably while trying to get the mafia to figure out who he is. The mod may or may not tell the Mafia that there is a Spy in the game. Since he does not know the other mafia, some mods will have him appear "innocent" if investigated. In addition, if the Spy is the only mafia left, they are unable to perform the Mafia's nightly kill, and most mods will simply end the game there as a Mafia loss.
Framer: A Mafia that can target one player each night to "frame". If that player is investigated by a Cop, the Cop will be given a "guilty" investigation result. A stronger variant of this role is called the "Tailor", who can not only make Townies seem guilty, but can also target their fellow Mafia members and make them seem innocent.
Poisoner: A Mafia that kills with poison if they are chosen to perform the Mafia's nightly kill. A poisoned player will die one day after they are poisoned, and cannot be protected by a Doctor. The mod will usually limit how many times the Poisoner can make the Mafia's nightly kill, since poison bypasses all protections and bulletproof abilities. Occasionally, a mod may include a "Poison Doctor" role, whose sole purpose is to protect players from poison. The Poison Doctor may be able to protect players the night they are poisoned, or cure them the night they would die, or occasionally both.
Terrorist: Like the Spy, the Terrorist does not know who the other Mafia are, and they do not know who he is. At any point during the day, the Terrorist can kill himself and one other player (similarly to the Day Vigilante, they usually do so by posting "DAYKILL: (player name)).
Roles that are usually Third-Party
- Spoiler:
- Basic Roles
Survivor: The most basic form of Third-Party roles. The Survivor has no abilities. To win, he must survive until either the Town or Mafia has won the game. Some mods have the Survivor share the win with the winning faction, other mods say that the Survivor is the sole winner if they survive.
Serial Killer: Aside from the Survivor, this is generally the only other Third-Party role seen. Each night, the Serial Killer targets one person to kill. The Serial Killer wins when all other players are dead (due to this win condition, the game does not end with a Town or Mafia victory until the Serial Killer is dead). Sometimes, the mod may include a "Psychiatrist" role with the town. The Psychiatrist targets one player each night until they target the Serial Killer. If the Psychiatrist does find the Serial Killer, the Serial Killer becomes a Vanilla Townie, and the Psychiatrist becomes a Doctor.
Less basic roles
Arsonist: Basically a Serial Killer with a flavor name, but slightly more powerful since his kills cannot be stopped by Doctors. Often, the mod will include a "Firefighter" role, which basically works as a Doctor that only protects against the Arsonist's kills.
Jester: A role that wins if it gets lynched. Don't use it.
There you have it. There are plenty more roles listed on the wiki, and you are free to make up whatever roles you want when hosting your own round.
Leo E.- Guy in Charge
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Re: Basic roles & variations
by Zyquux Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:44 pm
Leo wrote:Note that for the purposes of insta-lynches, a Doublevoter usually counts as two people (for example, if there are nine players left, normally five votes would be needed for an insta-lynch; however, since the Doublevoter means there are effectively ten players' worth of votes, six votes would instead be required for an insta-lynch).
I thought that a doublevoter just has two votes, not count as two people, meaning that they could insta-lynch by themselves. Either that, or their single public vote counts as 2.
Zyquux- Vintage Guy
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Re: Basic roles & variations
by Leo E. Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:47 pm
This is usually up to the moderator, but it's more often like that because it stops the doublevoter from having too much influence on an insta-lynch. And it's also up to the mod whether their vote is simply doubled, or if they can vote for two different people.Zyquux wrote:I thought that a doublevoter just has two votes, not count as two people, meaning that they could insta-lynch by themselves. Either that, or their single public vote counts as 2.
EDIT: This also goes hand-in-hand with what happened in Axel's round. If there's, say, two Mafia and two Townies left in the morning, normally you'd call the round in favor of the Mafia, but a Doublevoter can change that easily, so it's easier to count him as two people for this stuff.
Leo E.- Guy in Charge
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Re: Basic roles & variations
by Zyquux Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:44 pm
So general guidelines for Halolz mafia roles: No Jokers, no lynchers, only one vanilla (if any), as few enablers as possible.
Just my observations. Feel free to correct me.
Just my observations. Feel free to correct me.
Zyquux- Vintage Guy
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Re: Basic roles & variations
by Link Lab Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:02 am
Why only one vanilla townie? Why a low number of enablers? Our earlier rounds had plenty of townies but then we went a bit mad with the power roles. Games with more townies tend to be balanced a lot better. Also, round 13 was one uber-power role with about 7 enablers and a backup. That was a good round. The one thing that's a bit unbalanced was the town-aligned survivor.
No lynchers and no jesters is pretty much definite though.
No lynchers and no jesters is pretty much definite though.
Link Lab- Guy in Charge
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Re: Basic roles & variations
by Mentle Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:16 am
What Link said. We started going too far with roles to promote funny night shenanigans and because being a vanilla townie can be kind of boring. We ended reaching a point where multiple town-aligned roles worked against the town due to great night action fuckery and roleclaims.
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Re: Basic roles & variations
by Zyquux Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:21 pm
I'll give you the townies thing, but by enablers, I meant one enabler for one person. For example, the doctor, the cop, and the vigilante having their own enablers. If one of them gets killed by the early random lynches, it isn't as fun for the survivor. A whole round based on enabling is fine though, because there is less of a chance that a random lynch will leave people useless, and more importantly, bored.
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